I won't be blogging much for a while...

Batman spilled some water on the computer (yes, the one we bought just six months ago) and it is at the Mac store getting fixed. It was a pricey accident, but at least we'll still have the computer (as well as our pictures -- which will be backed up as soon as we get the computer back). SO, no posts, or at least no posts with pictures, for a while. SORRY. I promise to take some cute ones in the meantime.

Lizzie is not content to crawl; she cries if we are not helping her walk. I forgot about this back-breaking stage.

Happy Halloween! Eat a mini-snickers for me!

(Sorry, one cute story: This afternoon on the Tube, Tommy told Eli he was going to give him a Dutch rub. Eli asked where Tommy learned what a Dutch rub was. Tommy said, "Grandpa Ollie. And a horse bite, too. I like him.")

The game has changed.

Half-term

In the UK, there are three terms of school (September to December, January to March, and April to July), and in the middle of each term, the children get a week of vacation. It is my guess that this is to torture the parents, because that is what it does.

Tommy is on break this week, and because I knew it might be rough, I over scheduled us. Yesterday, we went to Tom's house for a playdate; this morning we met Ava and Isabella for a play at the park and then lunch "at a restaurant!"; tomorrow Angus and Heidi are coming over for a play and lunch; Thursday we'll have Harry and Amelia over and Friday I don't think we have anything. Perhaps we'll break our no-TV-during-the-week rule and watch a movie. I am exhausted.

This morning Tommy was singing the hello song (it's a British one -- I'd never heard it before coming here) and he sang "hello Chloe." I asked if there was a little girl named Chloe in his class because I didn't think so, and he said no, that he was singing about the big girl at Grandma Sid and Grandpa Ollie's house. When we saw Chloe, she was fighting with her mother and so was happy to hang out with Tommy outside and he liked that. She also was wearing a pretty dress, he thought.

Lizzie loves having Tommy home from school. She shortens her naps so that she can spend more time playing with him in his room. She thinks he's very funny except when he snatches toys away from here (a common occurrence I am sorry to say). Also, Lizzie is now at the back-killing stage of wanting to walk everywhere while holding my fingers. I secretly do not want her to walk because I know my life will become so much more difficult.

The kids are both sleeping horribly. We think Lizzie is teething (based on the constant drooling), but Tommy has no excuse (other than Lizzie woke him up, which doesn't explain his refusal to go back to sleep once he is awake).

The most exciting news of the day is that (poor) Eli and I are going to a Christmas carol sing-a-long at the Royal Albert Hall. I am really looking forward to it!

Football

Here is Tommy with Coach Racine:

Here's Tommy being a fighter jet during football class:

And after football, we came home and Tommy went to the bathroom. He came out and told me "something's wrong." Well, yes, Tommy. You can't put both legs through one leg hole.

Exciting announcement and comment on today's news

Today, I received my debit card in the mail. So that's something.

Also, I have been thinking a lot about this absolutely crazy story today. Clarence Thomas' wife is insane (clearly) and COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE. I will never forget my mother listening to those hearings, vacuuming with her walkman on and cursing up a storm.

Other photos

Lizzie's halloween costume (minus the butterfly pants):

Swinging after a run:

Tommy's favorite time, ever, at the playground because he got to play with the big boys:

Reading:

Craven Cottage, which is where the Fulham football team plays. Tommy's football class is about half a block from here:

What Tommy can do:

Learning to crawl...no fun (but super cute)

This is how she thinks you crawl. We do a lot of yoga these days:

Hi everybody

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I'm sorry, I just forget about the blog sometimes.

First of all, Happy Birthday to Andy and Brett! If I'd remembered before an hour ago (so so sorry), I would've called both of you so Tommy could sing. Maybe tomorrow?

We're all doing just fine. Tommy spent about ten minutes on our way home from school telling me about how his life would be better with a kitty. Tommy would, apparently, sleep with the kitten and also sit with it on his lap while he watched television. It would be very very tiny and very very cute.

Tommy told Eli that he doesn't like pink anymore because it's a girl color. Thankfully, he is not refusing to ride his scooter.

Yesterday, when I picked Tommy up from school, one of his teachers asked if she could observe him (for the entire school year) for a class she's taking. I asked if it was because he is the most energetic child she has ever encountered, and she sort of paused and said, "well, it's because he's just so interesting at the moment." Hmmmm. But, Eli dropped him off this morning and understands what I mean now when I said he's pretty much off and running the second he gets through the door (and past the teacher -- he has to shake hands and say good morning when he gets to school each day).

Lizzie went to her baby class today and had such a good time. For part of the class, we sing songs with scarves, and she beamed and flapped her arms whenever it went on her head. She loved it. When we started in early September, only one baby could crawl and now that place is a zoo. Lizzie scooted around a little bit, but she's mostly really focused on the teacher and the music. I know I'm her mother, but she's just so adorable.

We've had a couple of nice weekends. We've now had people over for brunch three weekends in a row. (This last weekend was the best food.) And, just so you all know, each weekend we had different people over. We have enough friends to have three different families over for brunch. I am totally relieved.

Tommy's appetite

As of 11:40 this morning, Tommy has eaten:

- 3 clementines

- 1 bowl of oatmeal

- 2 scrambled eggs

- 1 quesadilla (with just cheese)

- 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli

- 1 small smoothie

Tractors

This morning Tommy woke up, said good morning and suggested we go visit Robie. "And Grandpa Bob ... and Grandma Antsy ... and Margaret." Then, he launched into a description of the tractors on Margaret's farm (I don't actually remember any, but apparently there were five).

A couple of mornings ago, he announced from his chair during breakfast that he was going to Grandma Sid's for five. We sorted out that he meant five minutes. He likes to tell me that he's going various places (to the hardware store is his favorite), but he'll be right back, "and you won't miss me, mom, okay?"

We put together a big puzzle a couple of days ago, and he looked at it and said "you know what mom? I think I did a good job. By the way, thanks for the help, mom!"

Tommy's preschool teacher told me that he and another little boy go into the bathroom, each get situated in their cubicle, and then chat.

Tommy got his hair cut on Monday, and the hairdresser complimented him on his hair: "It's so thick, and it's such a lovely color." That night during bath, while I was washing his hair, Tommy complained, "but you'll wash it off!" And I said, "what do you mean?" And he said, "you'll wash the lovely color off!"

Lizzie

Lizzie can point, clap and raise her hands when we ask "how big is Lizzie?" She also waves (though possibly accidentally). She loves to eat buttered toast, peas, and butternut squash. She says "mmmmmm" when she eats things she likes. She stares at people on the bus until they smile at her. She goes to sleep all by herself, no more rocking. Lizzie is just at a completely adorable stage. I will be posting some learning-to-crawl pictures shortly. She is still working hard on crawling.

On the downside: she threw her cupcake hat over the side of the buggy while I was running last Thursday and I didn't notice. When I did notice, we had just 10 minutes before we had to pick up Tommy, so I couldn't go back and find it. This week I have recovered a sock, but lost a paci. I am finally not feeling sad about the cupcake hat, but it took a week. I loved that hat.

I still don't have a debit card.

So I've mostly posted about the nice parts of London. But there are some crappy, frustrating parts as well.

For me, the very worst part has been attempting to obtain a debit card for our UK bank account. This bank account was opened by my husband when he was here before the rest of us, and he opened it using his Bechtel address. So when we went in April to get me added to the account, the bank informed us that I could not be added until we had a permanent address. Of course, that did not happen until the end of June. When we went into the bank in June, we were informed that I needed to be listed on a utility bill. Of course, we did not have a utility bill with our names on it yet. We had to call the utility company, have a three way call in which I consented to be added to the account, and then wait for six weeks until our first statement appeared. When I returned from the Seattle trip, we had a council tax statement with my name on it, and so the very first day I was back in London, I took my passport, the council tax statement and the form to the bank. I submitted it. The banker man told me that I would receive a debit card in two weeks.

I never received it. The bank lost the form, and the copy of the council tax statement and the copy of my passport. AND the application for my UK credit card as well.

In the meantime, we lost the council tax statement, and our utility statements are all electronic. So I finally remembered earlier this week to go get the form again (no, we didn't keep a copy), but when I went to submit it, I took a LETTER from the gas company, not a statement, to the bank and was rejected. Now this is the crazy part. I actually started to CRY in the bank. Not like big sobs, but I couldn't talk and just stalked out of there. And then I texted Eli that if we can't switch banks, I want to go back to the US. Of course, we can't switch banks because everything is automatically debited from our account and it would be such a hassle. But.

Now you all know the dark side of living in the UK. It is full of totally inefficient assholes. (Many of them have horrible teeth.)

Tommy at school

I know, there should be photos. But there aren't. Lizzie and I went to Tommy's school yesterday because they had a party for Miss Alma, who is going on maternity leave. We really love Miss Alma and are very sad that she's leaving, but we are going to go visit her after she's had the baby. Anyway, after pounding two cups of juice and inhaling two (small, but still) pieces of cake, Tommy got out his rug (part of Montessori is getting out a small rug to put your materials on) and showed me the red rods and made shapes with them. Then, and this was my favorite part, he put them away!! The other kids liked Lizzie quite a bit, and Tommy enjoyed telling them not to touch her and that she was his baby. (Still working on sharing.)

The school hunt has progressed. I am on my way to an open morning at a school nearby. Tommy's current head teacher came from this school and has only great things to say about it. She said that the children there are very happy, and I'm not sure I could think of a better measure of a school. Lizzie and I also went to an open morning yesterday at the primary school associated with Tommy's preschool. It's a Montessori school and right now it has just four kids. The principal of the school (of all the Paint Pots schools) is really great and I also liked the teacher -- but I am still anxious that it will be difficult to get him back into the conventional British system if we do Montessori now. But I also think Montessori is awesome, especially for a kid who asks me things like, "what's in dirt?" And now I'm done being boring.

We have friends coming for brunch tomorrow and I want to bake scones except I can't figure out how to measure the butter. It just comes in blocks here. I think I'm going to get a scale this afternoon. Anyway. Big problems from here in London.

Happy weekend, everybody.